UK speed limits?

Mikex

Thanks for replies,

Seems I am not the only one confused about this. Story is my mate has just been on a speed awareness course and returned muttering the guy running the course did not understand the subject fully himself. I therefore googled UK speed limits. Soon became confused & posted on here.

I failed to give a couple of pieces of relevant info in my original post. In the V5 the Defender is PLG (private light goods) and it has 2 seats in the front and a van back with no windows in the sides.

Specifically it is a Land Rover Defender 110 Hard Top. (like the farmers have).

Having googled my initial thoughts agree with ROY47

single carriageway 50
dual 60
motorway 70

I have owned 9 of this type of vehicle over the past 25 years and have previously understood the speed limit would be the same as cars. ie 60 on a single carriageway. I think I have been lucky not to have been stopped for speeding during this time.

Mike

Premier_2

Mikex wrote: »

Thanks for replies,

Seems I am not the only one confused about this. Story is my mate has just been on a speed awareness course and returned muttering the guy running the course did not understand the subject fully himself. I therefore googled UK speed limits. Soon became confused & posted on here.

I failed to give a couple of pieces of relevant info in my original post. In the V5 the Defender is PLG (private light goods) and it has 2 seats in the front and a van back with no windows in the sides.

Specifically it is a Land Rover Defender 110 Hard Top. (like the farmers have).

Having googled my initial thoughts agree with ROY47

single carriageway 50
dual 60
motorway 70

I have owned 9 of this type of vehicle over the past 25 years and have previously understood the speed limit would be the same as cars. ie 60 on a single carriageway. I think I have been lucky not to have been stopped for speeding during this time.

Mike

How old is the Landy? When was it first registered?

With effect from 01 April 2009, all newly registered LandRover Defender 110 station wagons with the no cost utility pack option (no rear side windows) were classified as N1 (commercial vehicle, GVW <[STRIKE]7500kg[/STRIKE] 3500kg) and yes, then the speed limits you state would indeed apply.
(Without the no cost utility pack, it would still be an M1)

All LandRover Defender 110 station wagon models registered prior to 01 April 2009 were classified as an M1 vehicle (passenger carrying vehicle with less than 9 seats) and the speed limits I previously advised would apply.


Edit: Your V5C, Section 4 (Vehicle details) J. (Vehicle category) will tell you if the vehicle is in the M1 or N1 category. This is what dictates the applicable speed limit, not the taxation class.

Mikex

Thanks Premier,

Forgive me if I sound even more confused. My vehicle is not a station wagon, it is a hard top and has only 2 seats (driver & passenger). It was first registered September 2008.

I will refer to the V5 to see whether it is M1 or N1.

Thanks for the tip.

Mike

Mikex

Checked the V5.

Vehicle is classed as N1.

Thanks again.

Mike

Rover_Driver

It's got nothing to do with what's on the V5C.

A dual purpose vehicle is defined in regulation 3, Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986:


'A vehicle constructed or adapted for the carriage both of passengers and of goods or burden of any description, being a vehicle of which the unladen weight does not exceed 2040 kg, and which either—
(i)
is so constructed or adapted that the driving power of the engine is, or by the appropriate use of the controls of the vehicle can be, transmitted to all the wheels of the vehicle; or

(ii)
satisfies the following conditions as to construction, namely—
(a)
the vehicle must be permanently fitted with a rigid roof, with or without a sliding panel;
(b)
the area of the vehicle to the rear of the driver's seat must—
(i)
be permanently fitted with at least one row of transverse seats (fixed or folding) for two or more passengers and those seats must be properly sprung or cushioned and provided with upholstered back-rests, attached either to the seats or to a side or the floor of the vehicle; and
(ii)
be lit on each side and at the rear by a window or windows of glass or other transparent material having an area or aggregate area of not less than 1850 square centimetres on each side and not less than 770 square centimetres at the rear; and
(c)
the distance between the rearmost part of the steering wheel and the back-rests of the row of transverse seats satisfying the requirements specified in head (i) of sub-paragraph (b) (or, if there is more than one such row of seats, the distance between the rearmost part of the steering wheel and the back-rests of the rearmost such row) must, when the seats are ready for use, be not less than one-third of the distance between the rearmost part of the steering wheel and the rearmost part of the floor of the vehicle.'


As long as their unladen weight is under 2040kg, Landrovers usually comply with part (i) - four wheel drive, and so would not be limited by schedule 6, Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 - Speed limits for certain classes of vehicle, unless they were adapted to carry more than 8 passengers.

Wig

Rover_Driver wrote: »

It's got nothing to do with what's on the V5C.

A dual purpose vehicle is defined in regulation 3, Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986:


'A vehicle constructed or adapted for the carriage both of passengers and of goods or burden of any description, being a vehicle of which the unladen weight does not exceed 2040 kg, and which either—
(i)
is so constructed or adapted that the driving power of the engine is, or by the appropriate use of the controls of the vehicle can be, transmitted to all the wheels of the vehicle; or

Where did you get that quote from? I thought the C&U regs were unavailable online....

Rover_Driver

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/contents/made

marlot

Mikex wrote: »

Checked the V5.

Vehicle is classed as N1.

Thanks again.

Mike

N1 – defined as “vehicles used for the carriage of goods and having a maximum mass not exceeding 3.5 tonnes”. Sounds like the van speed limits apply, as Premier says.

Wig

Rover_Driver wrote: »

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/contents/made

Sounds to me like Gloomendoom and Rover are correct, as long as unladen weight is not more than 2040kg. it should be 70, 70, 60


However Rover Driver, take a look at this....I think they have made a mistake
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/27/schedule/6
For normal cars not towing a trailer it should read 70, 70, 60
They also missed out the word "not" in "not exceeding 3.05 Tonnes"

alastairq

All LandRover Defender 110 station wagon models registered prior to 01 April 2009 were classified as an M1 vehicle (passenger carrying vehicle with less than 9 seats) and the speed limits I previously advised would apply.

A point to note with the above...I believe a D1 licence category is needed to drive this.

With regards to D1 licence categories, there is currently in place , [off top of head, cannot find link].....there is a requirement now to have passed a PCV test in this category....[rather than an entitlement through holding a Cat B prior to Jan 1997]

I know this as the Military are currently attempting to keep a low profile in this respect [no Crown Exemptions any more...EU saw to that]....as it affects the Land/Rover TUM....which has nine seats excluding driver.
Any civilian [MOD employee, aka Civil Servant]....driving one of these must hold a D1 [and PCV]....

Nightmare scenario for MoD!